Robert Pattinson Addresses Pressure Of Playing Batman For DC Fans

Robert Pattinson, the star of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, is addressing the pressure that comes with playing the iconic masked vigilante. Pattinson is perhaps best known for his role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight franchise, which is why many were initially surprised when he was cast as Bruce Wayne. However, they were likely unacquainted with his stellar performances in acclaimed indie films like Good Time and The Lighthouse. Since being cast as the Caper Crusader, Pattinson starred in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, which many had hoped would a massive summer blockbuster, but its theatrical rollout was marred by the coronavirus pandemic.

Like many productions that took place in 2020, The Batman experienced numerous delays after filming began in January. For starters, Warner Bros. was forced to shut down production in March due to COVID-19. After production resumed, the film faced even more delays, one of which was reportedly due to Pattinson testing positive for the virus. Some unfounded rumors also suggested production had shut down because Pattinson was not in proper shape for the role. After a long road, The Batman finally wrapped filming last month.

In a 2019 interview with NPR, Pattinson is addressed the pressure that comes with playing Batman, especially in regards to marketing the film. When promoting many of his previous movies, Pattinson says that no one really cared what he said about them, yet he has had a completely different experience with The Batman. “Every single time I say one sentence about Batman, I’m offending swathes of Batman fans,” Pattinson says. Read his full thoughts on playing Batman below:

I mean, I’ve got a lot of thoughts. Well, it’s funny, like, doing – I’ve done so many movies where, you know, I play these sort of partially monstrous characters. And whenever I’ve been promoting them, you know, normally, no one cares what you say about it. And I’ve just noticed every single time I say one sentence about Batman, there’s this massive – I’m offending swathes of Batman fans. But, I mean, it’s kind of – I mean, the interesting thing about Batman itself is that you can basically – it’s been played in so many different ways. The comics cover so much ground. The movies cover so much ground. I mean, if you’re going on the kind of – if you’re trying to play a historically accurate Batman, I mean, you could literally play anything. So I guess it’s kind of what Matt Reeves is directing and kind of wants to go for.

After Christian Bale and Ben Affleck, Pattinson will be the latest to don the cape and cowl on the big screen. As these actors can likely attest, playing Batman comes with a lot of pressure, especially since there are multiple generations of fans who have different opinions about how the character should be depicted. While some suggested that Pattinson was not taking the role seriously because he refused to put on a ton of muscle, Pattinson seems fully committed to the role and Reeves’ vision. Based on the trailer, it seems Reeves’s film will be a grittier take that focuses more on the detective side of Batman.

There are certainly many serious superhero fans out there who are not afraid to let their voices be heard. With Batman being one of the most popular comic book characters of all time, Pattinson will likely be the target of more ire from hardcore fans as The Batman nears its release. It’s too early to predict critical and audience reactions to the film, though, so Pattinson’s performance may still end up winning over some of the naysayers.